Newcastle, UK | 25 March 2026 – Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses, yesterday welcomed leaders from Durham University to its Cobalt offices to mark the launch of a new collaboration focused on skills, learning and opportunity in the North East.
The partnership, designed to bring Sage and Durham University together on practical work that supports learning, research and career pathways, will help more people develop the skills they need to thrive as technology and AI reshape the world of work.
For Sage, it reflects the long-standing commitment to the North East and to creating more opportunities for people to learn, build careers and develop new ideas. It also strengthens Sage’s wider university partnerships across the region including with Newcastle, Northumbria, Teesside and Sunderland to help strengthen in-demand skills, support future talent and create clearer routes into jobs in the region.
Together, Sage and Durham University will explore:
Now a designated AI Growth Zone, leaders across the region are focused on turning that into training, jobs and long-term opportunities. Last year, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall and North East Mayor Kim McGuinness visited Sage’s Cobalt offices as part of that work.
"We’re proud of Sage’s roots and we want to help more people build the confidence and experience to shape what comes next" said Pieter Bensch, Managing Director, Sage UK & Ireland. "This partnership with Durham University is another step in Sage’s long-term commitment to the North East and a practical move in helping people gain the skills the region needs. By working closely with universities, we can support students and educators with real-world insight and help the region grow the next generation of talent."
Durham University also welcomed the collaboration. Professor Amir Michael, Deputy Executive Dean (Durham Edge – Executive and Professional Education), said: "We are very pleased with our partnership with Sage and looking forward to a fruitful and constructive collaboration. The collaboration will provide strong applied research capacity collaborating with our newly developed Business AI and Analytics Centre (BAIAS). Durham Edge, our Executive and Professional Education hub, will be working with Sage to develop a series of CPD and professional training courses offered to develop contemporary and future accounting technology and analytics skills to managers and senior executives".
About Sage
Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of Small and Mid-Sized Businesses served by us, our partners and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality and the climate crisis.
About Durham University
Durham University is a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research based in historic Durham City in the UK. We are a collegiate university committed to inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham and in the world. We conduct research that improves lives globally and we are ranked as a world top 100 university with an international reputation in research and education (QS World University Rankings 2026). We are a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive UK universities, and we are consistently ranked as a top five university in national league tables (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide and The Complete University Guide). Find more information about Durham University here.
